Two Missing SPOs Found Shot Dead In J&K’s Kishtwar; Service Weapons Suspected Stolen

Two SPOs Found Dead in Kishtwar After Going Missing During Duty, Rifles Unaccounted For

Two Special Police Officers (SPOs) who went missing while travelling to an Army post in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district have been found dead, with bullet injuries on their bodies. Their service weapons are also missing, raising suspicions of a possible militant ambush.

The deceased have been identified as Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45, both residents of Kiyar village. They were attached to the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Kishtwar Police and were posted in the Kiyar sector.

The two officers had been assigned rotational duty at a Temporary Operating Base of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles in Marwah. They left Kiyar on Wednesday to relieve Army personnel stationed there but never reached their destination.

According to initial information, gunshots were heard near the Deharna forest area at around 3.30 pm. Porters who were in the vicinity reportedly heard the firing and alerted security forces. A search operation was subsequently launched by the Army, CRPF and local police.

Friendly fire was initially among the possibilities being examined. However, the disappearance of the officers’ weapons and the circumstances surrounding their deaths have raised the possibility that they were attacked by militants.

Their bodies were recovered early Thursday during the search operation. Both had sustained bullet wounds.

Rising security concerns in Kishtwar

The incident comes amid continuing counterinsurgency operations in the district. Kishtwar recorded five terror-related deaths in 2026, including four terrorists and one Army personnel. In 2025, the district reported four such deaths — three terrorists and one Army soldier. In 2024, three security personnel and two civilians were killed.

On October 4, Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma had appealed to residents of Marwah, Warwan and Dachhan to inform authorities about any suspicious movement or activity.

He had also pointed out that the presence of active militants was affecting tourism in the region, despite its considerable potential as a tourist destination.